Academic Offenses

1. Cheating

Cheating includes but is not limited to dishonest or attempted dishonest conduct during tests or examinations in which use is made of books, notes, diagrams or other aids excluding those authorized by the examiner. It includes communicating with others for the purpose of obtaining information, copying from the work of others and purposely exposing or conveying information to other students who are taking the test or examination.

College instructors have a responsibility to define cheating and clearly outline their expectations regarding student work, either at the beginning of the course or on the course outline. If an instructor has discovered a student cheating, or suspects a student is cheating, he/she should adhere to the following procedures:

If an instructor has determined that a student is cheating, the instructor shall:

• Obtain evidence of cheating.

• Inform the student that he/she has been observed cheating.

• Obtain the student's name.

In the event of the incident occurring during an examination, immediately collect all of the material on the student's desk and dismiss the student taking care to minimize any disruption. Document the incident in writing, providing a detailed set of observations. This should be done as soon as possible. Report the incident to the program dean as soon as possible. In the event of the incident occurring at the Penticton, Vernon or Salmon Arm campuses, the regional dean shall be notified. If an instructor suspects but cannot prove that the student is cheating, the instructor shall:

• Inform the student that he/she is suspected of cheating. The student should be given an opportunity to provide an explanation.

• Obtain the student's name.

In the event of a suspected incident of cheating occurring during class or during an examination, move the student to another desk if possible, or to the invigilator's desk if necessary.

Document the incident in writing as soon as possible.

Report the incident to the program dean as soon as possible. In the event of the incident occurring at the Penticton, Vernon or Salmon Arm campuses, the regional dean shall also be notified.

In both circumstances listed above, it is important that there be a minimum of disruption. If the student disputes the instructor's action, discussion should take place outside of the classroom. If available, the dean, regional dean or department chair may be called upon to mediate the dispute. An appropriate course of action will be determined by the dean in consultation with the instructor.

2. Plagiarism Policy and Procedures

Definition

1. Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's work or ideas without proper or complete acknowledgement.

   "Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, failure to indicate the source with quotation marks or footnotes where appropriate if any of the following are reproduced in the work submitted by a student:

   A written phrase

   A graphic element

   A proof

   Specific language

   An idea derived from the work, published or unpublished, of another person."

   Carnegie Mellon University Undergraduate Academic Disciplinary Actions Overview http://www.cmu.edu/policies/documents/Cheating.html (originally issued 6/16/80, revised 1990)

2. The instructor shall determine whether the plagiarism is intentional or unintentional according to the following definitions:

   • Intentional plagiarism is the deliberate presentation of another's work or ideas as one's own.

   • Unintentional plagiarism is the inadvertent presentation of another's work or ideas without proper acknowledgement because of poor or inadequate practices. Unintentional plagiarism is a failure of scholarship; intentional plagiarism is an act of deceit.

Self-Plagiarism

1. Self-plagiarism is the submission of work that is the same or substantially the same as work prepared or performed by the student for credit in another course (except in instances where the instructor receiving the work has given prior permission). Work includes but is not limited to essays, term papers, projects, and assignments. Although self-plagiarism may not involve the intellectual theft that characterizes plagiarism (as defined in 2. above), it is a form of academic misconduct and is subject to the same disciplinary actions as plagiarism. All Procedures for the Plagiarism Policy as outlined below will apply to this Policy.

Prevention

1. The primary purpose of these policies and procedures is to prevent plagiarism by increasing awareness both of the meaning of plagiarism and of the penalties for committing plagiarism.

2. Okanagan College faculty have a responsibility to explain plagiarism and its implications for work in their course. All course outlines must contain a statement as to what constitutes plagiarism.

3. Students are responsible for learning and applying the proper scholarly practices for acknowledging the work and ideas of others. Students who are unsure of what constitutes plagiarism should refer to the UBC publication Plagiarism Avoided: Taking Responsibility for your Work. This guide is available through the College bookstores or online.

Plagiarism Procedures

Informal Review

1. An instructor who believes that plagiarism has occurred shall attempt to discuss the suspected violation informally with the student within one week of the discovery of the suspected infraction.

2. Instructors are encouraged to consult at this stage with their dean or designate about the nature of the suspected infraction, the evidence and the range of penalties under consideration.

3. The instructor will advise the student of the basis of the belief, the potential penalties, a copy of the work in question and a copy of the Plagiarism Policy and Procedures.

4. During the discussion the student shall have the opportunity to respond to the allegation.

5. If the plagiarism is deemed by the instructor to be unintentional, the instructor will impose a penalty. The student may be asked to rewrite the assignment in keeping with proper scholarly practice and resubmit it for evaluation. The instructor may reduce the student's grade for the assignment.

6. The instructor shall provide written notification to the dean or designate of any penalty imposed.

7. If the plagiarism is deemed by the instructor to be intentional, the instructor will write to the student conveying the following: the basis for the belief, the penalty being recommended to the dean or designate.

8. A copy of this correspondence will be forwarded to the dean or designate.

9. Within five (5) working days of receiving notification the student may request a formal review by notifying the dean or designate. The student may request a meeting or advise that he/she will provide a statement contesting the allegation of plagiarism.

10. If the student does not respond in writing or request a meeting within five (5) days of notification the dean or designate, subsequent to reviewing the documentation and the student's previous record, shall advise the student of his/her decision. Copies of the correspondence shall be forwarded to the instructor and the Registrar.

Formal Review - Meeting with the Student

1. In the event the student requests a meeting with the instructor, the instructor and the dean or designate shall identify a meeting chair.

2. The chair shall set a date for the meeting, which is to occur within five (5) working days of receiving the request.

3. A student may have a representative in attendance at the meeting with the instructor. If the student wishes to have a representative, the student must notify the dean or designate at the time of scheduling the meeting that the student will be accompanied by a representative and must advise the instructor of the identity of the representative.

4. The student shall have the opportunity to respond to the allegation.

5. If the plagiarism is deemed by the instructor to be intentional, the student and instructor may discuss possible penalties, based on the instructor's assessment of the seriousness of the offence, including whether there are any mitigating factors.

6. After the meeting, the chair will summarize in writing the substance of the meeting, including the instructor's conclusion regarding the allegation of plagiarism and the instructor's recommendation of an appropriate penalty. The written summary will be forwarded to the student and to the dean or designate within five (5) working days.

7. The dean or designate will review the student's previous record and determine the appropriate penalty. The dean or designate will communicate the penalty, if any, to the student in writing.

Written Submission

1. After considering the student's written response in conjunction with the instructor, the dean or designate will review the student's previous record and determine the appropriate penalty, based on an assessment of the seriousness of the offense and whether there are any mitigating factors.

2. The dean or designate will communicate the penalty within five (5) working days to the student, in writing, and forward a copy to be kept on file at the Registrar's Office.

1. Penalties for plagiarism serve both to educate students about standards of scholarship and to deter deception and poor scholarly practices. Penalties will reflect the seriousness of the offence; including whether the offence was intentional or unintentional and whether it was a first or a repeat offence.

2. The dean or designate, on the recommendation of the instructor, may impose penalties which include a warning, the rewriting of the assignment or the submission of some other assigned work, the imposition of a reduced mark for the assignment, or the assignment of a mark of zero in the course.

3. For more serious or repeat offences, the dean or designate, on the recommendation of the instructor, may make a recommendation to the Registrar that the student be denied admission or re-admission or that the student forfeit Okanagan College financial aid. The dean or designate, on the recommendation of the instructor, may, in addition to any other penalty, recommend to the President that the student be suspended or dismissed from the College.

4. Upon receiving such recommendations, the Registrar or the President will determine the appropriate penalty and advise the student of the decision and that the student has a right of appeal.

Appeal Procedure

1. Students have a right to a fair and impartial appeal of plagiarism penalties.
   • Any penalty imposed by the instructor for unintentional plagiarism may be appealed through a grade appeal.
   • Any penalty imposed by the dean or designate may be appealed through the Education Council Appeals Committee. Such an appeal must be made in writing to the Secretary to the Education Council within ten (10) working days.
2. At such time as an appeal is filed any prior decision is stayed pending the outcome of the appeal.
3. A student may appeal on one or more of the following grounds:
   • that there was unfairness in the formal process;
   • that the penalty imposed was inappropriate;
   • that new evidence has come to light that was not available at the time of the formal process which casts doubt on the accuracy of the finding.
4. The Education Council Appeals Committee will hold a hearing in which both the student and the instructor will be given an opportunity to make oral submission and call evidence through witnesses. The committee may, at its discretion, call other witnesses whose evidence may be of assistance to the committee in its deliberations.
5. The committee will consider the evidence and submissions presented to it and decide whether or not the finding of plagiarism and the penalty imposed are reasonable in all of the circumstances. If the committee concludes that the finding of plagiarism is unreasonable, it may set aside the finding and the penalty. If the committee concludes that the finding of plagiarism is reasonable, but that the penalty imposed is unreasonable, the committee may substitute an appropriate penalty. The decision of the committee is final.
6. Only in the event of a penalty entailing a suspension imposed by the President as per 37(2) of the College and Institute Act does the student have the right of appeal to the Okanagan College Board of Governors as per 37(4) of the College and Institute Act.